Overview
- Colbert disclosed the final-air date during an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, saying the ending "feels real now" and that he will miss his colleagues most.
- The Late Show franchise will be retired with no successor host, consistent with CBS’s July announcement that the series would conclude at the end of the 2025–26 season.
- Network leadership maintains the decision is purely financial, while critics have questioned the timing following Paramount’s $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump and the Skydance merger process.
- Launched in 1993 with David Letterman and hosted by Colbert since 2015, the show remained a late-night leader and won the Emmy for Outstanding Talk Series in September 2025.
- With roughly four months left, Colbert will continue hosting from the Ed Sullivan Theater and says he is "not thrilled" but focused on finishing with his team.